The Five Ponies You Meet in Heaven
by p0n00b
Summary: After dying in a hotel fire, Twilight and her friends meet 5 ponies who have significantly affected their lives. Crossover of MLP:FIM and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. No spoilers in the comments please.
1. The End

It was a beautiful day in Manehatten. No clouds obscured the blue sky. The sun was beginning its descent in the sky as six mares discussed their sightseeing in their room at the Mare-iott Hotel.

"The library was amazing!" chirped Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the group. "I've never seen so many books in my life!" The other mares listened intently. Well, almost all of them...

"Books, schmooks" muttered Rainbow Dash. "Out of all the sights to see in Manehatten, you chose to see the library? You are so weird."

"And what's wrong with that?" chided Rarity, giving Rainbow a disapproving look. "Just because she doesn't like your idea of fun doesn't make her 'weird'."

"Whatevs" replied the spectrum maned pegasus. "Where are we going to eat tonight?"

"Ooh, ooh!" shouted the pink mare next to Rainbow. "What about Sunflower King? They have the best sunflower sandwiches! Theres also..."

"Actually, Pinkie" interrupted the librarian, "I already made reservations to go to the Turnip Garden down the street. Are you up to walking there Applejack?" Twilight looked over to the apple farmer.

"Ah'll be fine, Twi." she replied. "Just 'cause I can't buck trees doesn't mean I can't walk a couple of blocks."

Applejack looked at the scar on her back leg. Memories of being a prisoner of war came back to haunt her. She was shot as she attempted to escape one night. The escape was successful, but the damage to her leg was too severe for even unicorn magic to fix. Multiple surgeries were successful in replacing the damaged bone, but it did not subside the pain. She could no longer buck her apple trees. Getting around was a chore. Fortunately, Applebloom was old enough to buck the trees in place of Applejack.

"Are we ready to go?" asked Twilight. The friends nodded in approval. They trotted out their hotel room, with Applejack limping behind.

* * *

><p>"RAINBOW DASH! WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?"<p>

"What manners?" responded the weatherpony through a mouthful of daffodils. Rarity buried her head in her hooves out of embarrassment.

"Rainbow, can you at least chew with your mouth closed?" asked Twilight. This was met with a snort from the cyan mare.

The mares continued to talk amongst themselves. All of them, except one...

"Hey Fluttershy!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, startling the yellow pegasus. "You haven't said much all day. GASP! You look sad! You shouldn't be all frowny like that! What's the matter?"

"I'm fine" squeaked Fluttershy. She poked around at her salad.

She met Fireblazer after the war. He was a gentle stallion, despite his dynamic demeanor. He proposed to her after six months of dating. The wedding was attended by nearly every pony in Ponyville. The princesses attended as well. The couple stayed in Ponyville afterwards. Fluttershy still tended to her animals while Fireblazer took a job at the Cloudsdale weather factory. He died five years ago due to injuries he received in an accident there.

"Yer thinkin' 'bout Fireblazer, aren't ya?" asked Applejack. Fluttershy nodded while shedding a tear.

"Don't worry, darling. We are here for you." said Rarity, placing a foreleg around the veterinarian.

"Is everyone done?" asked Twilight. The girls nodded approvingly.

After they paid their bill, they began their trek back to their hotel room.

* * *

><p>"OK, everypony! The train leaves at seven tomorrow. Does everyone have everything packed?"<p>

"Of course, darling!" answered Rarity, pointing to a pile of more than a dozen suitcases.

"Did you remember to pack the kitchen sink?" said Rainbow Dash sarcastically, receiving a glare from the fashoinista in return.

"Calm down girls. We'll need to wake up at five thirty so we have enough time to get to the station." said Twilight. "If I were you, I would get to bed early tonight." This was met with a groan from the stunt flyer.

"It'll be good for you Rainbow." replied the bookworm with a smug smile on her face. "Good night!"

* * *

><p>In the room below Twilight's, a stallion was ironing his suit.<p>

"Honey, hurry up! We need to leave in five minutes if we are going to make it to the concert!" shouted his wife.

"I'm almost done, darling. Just give me thirty more seconds!"

True to his word, the stallion finished his ironing in the given time frame. He jumped into his suit and bolted out the door with his wife.

In his haste, he forgot to turn the iron off.

* * *

><p>"Spike! Can you get down <em>Divination for Dummies<em> for me please?"

"Sure thing, Twilight" said the purple dragon as he ran up the ladder.

"Whoa, you need to dust up here" muttered Spike as he pulled the requested book from the shelf. The dust cloud gathered around the young dragon's head

"Ah-ah-AH-CHOO!"

A flame accompanied the sneeze, igniting the remaining books on the shelf.

"Oh no! Oh no! Get out of the way Spike! I'll put it out!" shouted Twilight. Her assistant ran outside the library.

She focused her magic in her horn and cast it at the blazing inferno. However, it only caused the fire to spread to the rest of the library.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Twilight shot awake, her heart throbbing in her chest. She was still in her bed. Her friends were stirring from their slumbers, probably as a result of her screaming. She breathed in, but instead of clean air flowing into her lungs, she felt hot smoke flowing in instead.

The librarian raced to the window and threw it open. Flames were shooting out the window below. By this time, the rest of her friends were awake, unaware of what was happening.

"We need to get out of here now! There's a fire!" shouted Twilight as she ran out the door. Her friends didn't need to be told twice as they followed her out.

Smoke had already filled the hallway of their floor. The mares crouched low to the floor to avoid breathing the toxic fumes that have accumulated overhead. Rarity complained about the effects of the smoke on her coat and mane, seemingly unaware of the real danger they were in. Applejack struggled to keep up with the group as her injured leg refused to cooperate with her. They were almost to the main stairs when Pinkie Pie heard a voice in one of the rooms.

"Help me"

"Twilight!" shouted Pinkie. "There's somepony in here!"

"I heard it too!" responded the purple unicorn. She crawled to the door and nudged it open.

"Hello? Is somepony in here?" Twilight cautiously entered the room.

Inside, a tan filly lay on the floor. She was barely breathing, but she was alive. Twilight focused the magic in her horn and levitated the pony out of the room. The group continued their escape from the hotel.

The group made it into the lobby when Pinkie Pie's body started shaking.

"Twitchy Twitch!"

Twilight, distracted by the Pinkie Sense, lost her telekinetic grip on the pony she had. She watched as the filly fell to the floor.

"ITS COLLAPSING!" Rarity screamed. Twilight looked up to see the building coming down.

She ran with all her might to the little pony that she had been carrying, with the rest of the group following behind. She leapt across the room, hooves outstretched, to push her out of the way of the falling debris. The filly, upon seeing Twilight running to her, stretched out her hooves towards her.

Twilight closed her eyes, She felt two small hooves in her own.

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

The girls meet their first pony, who says Pinkie has killed him. What does he mean?

No spoilers, please.

This is my first fanfic. Please rate and review. If the reception is good enough, I might_ (might) _put it on fim fiction


	2. The First Pony

Twilight awoke in a plain wooden room.

"Where am I?" she thought to herself as she got to her feet. She looked around to find her friends waking up. She tried to speak, but she found herself unable to do so.

Applejack got to her hooves. Something felt different. Her leg did not hurt. She felt wonderful. In fact, she felt like a young filly. She tried to yell, but nothing came out of her throat.

Pinkie Pie looked around in amazement. She was at the rock farm where she grew up. She tried to tell Twilight, but she too was silent.

Five of the mares were awake by this point. Fluttershy hovered over to Rainbow Dash and nudged her awake. The cyan coated pegasus shuddered in fear at the unfamiliar settings at first, but relaxed upon seeing her friends.

The six mares looked at each other, questions racing through their minds. They remembered the hotel and the fire. Twilight thought of the filly. Did she save her? All she remembered was feeling two small hooves. She wanted answers.

Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Pinkie pointing to the door and opening it. Twilight and her remaining friends decided to follow the pink pony.

They stepped outside the house. A dull gray and brown scene met their eyes. Rocks littered the barren field in front of them.

Applejack started to run. She hadn't run since the war. She laughed silently as she relished the breeze running through her hair. The remaining ponies watched in wonder.

Eventually, they were led by Pinkie Pie to a nearby silo. Pinkie remembered how she threw her first party in there, resulting in her receiving her cutie mark. She hoped that it could provide more answers to the seemingly infinite amount of questions the group had. She opened the door.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a tall, middle aged earth pony stallion. His brilliant azure eyes made a mockery of the gray scenery around them. There were coal marks all over his body. His cutie mark was a shovel and a pickaxe crossing each other. However, one trait stood out among all the others.

He had no hair.

"Hello girls." said the stallion. "I've been waiting for you"

* * *

><p>The six girls jumped in fright. Fluttershy hid behind Rarity.<p>

"Don't be afraid." said the stallion in a comforting tone. He walked outside the building and onto the rock field. The stallion turned to Pinkie.

"Tell me, Pinkie. Did you stay on the rock farm?" She shook her head.

The girls looked at each other in confusion and fear. Who was this stallion?

He looked over at Pinkie and smiled. "Pinkie knew me as a filly. That is why you feel like one."

Applejack tried to speak. A croak came out.

The stallion chuckled. "You will get your voice soon enough. It helps you learn to listen."

Applejack frowned. She looked down at the ground. She decided to trace her question in the dirt.

"Where are we?"

"Where are you?" said the stallion with a chuckle. At that moment, the gray seemed to melt away in an explosion of colors. The sky turned blue. The barren trees sprouted leaves. The land seemed to instantly turn into a beautiful garden. "We're in heaven!"

* * *

><p>"No!" thought Twilight. "This can't be heaven! I must be dreaming!" She shook her head.<p>

The bald figure looked over at the distressed unicorn. "This can't be heaven? Were you expecting to be in the clouds strumming harps?"

The purple unicorn cocked her head. She didn't know how to answer the question.

"Heaven can be found in the most unlikely places," said the bald stallion. "Heaven also has many steps. This is the second step for me, but is the first for you."

"There are five ponies you meet in heaven. I am your first pony. When I died, I had my life explained to me by five other ponies, and then I waited for you, to tell you my story. There will be others who will teach you, too. You may know some of them, and others you won't, but they all crossed your path before you died."

"...what..."

The stallion looked over at Pinkie. She had finally managed to find her voice.

"...killed..."

He waited patiently as Pinkie finished her question.

"...you...?"

The stallion smiled sadly. He looked into her blue eyes.

"You did."

* * *

><p>Pinkie dropped her jaw. Her friends stared at her in disbelief.<p>

"WHAT? I never knew you! I never even met you, and I know everypony I met! How could I have possibly killed you?"

"Surely you must be mistaken!" Rarity spoke up. "We are dear friends of Pinkie. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

The stallion pressed his hoof to her lips to silence her.

"Let me tell you about my life. My name is Stone Cutter, and I was born in Trottingham. My family moved to Ponyville when I was about three years old."

"When I grew up, I went to work in a nearby mine with my father. I was very clumsy; I never could get my cart to its destination without having it tip over once. I was teased constantly by my coworkers. I was embarrased. I got very nervous. I started wetting the bed at night. I would try to wash my sheets before my father noticed, but one day, he saw my wet sheets, and gave me a glare that only worsened my nervousness."

"I haven't been bald all my life. However, medicine back then was almost medieval in nature. I went to a medical clinic to find something to calm my nerves. The pediatrician gave me a bottle of liquid and told me to stir a teaspoon of the stuff in a cup of water and drink it once per day. I don't know what the liquid was, but when it wasn't working, I increased the dosage. Soon, I was drinking straight from the bottle."

"After that, my hair started to fall out. I stopped drinking the liquid, but it was too late. Other ponies looked at me funny. Eventually, I lost my job at the mine. The manager said I was freaking everypony out. I became very depressed. How would I get food? Where would I sleep?"

"Eventually, I found a new job as a train driver. I would be isolated from the other ponies. When I did need to step out, I had clothing covering as much of my body as I possibly could. It was a low paying job with few benefits, but it was enough to provide me with the basic necessities."

"One day, my travels brought me to the Pie Rock Farm. It was there I met your father. As I was talking with him, the hat on my head blew away, exposing my baldness. I was scared. I huddled into a ball, expecting to be humiliated again. Much to my surprise, I felt a foreleg wrap around me. I then heard a kind voice telling me that everything would be all right. He did not care that I was bald all over. He invited me to the farm often, where we would talk about work, or family, or whatever we wanted to talk about. This was the only place where I did not have to worry about my baldness, where I could be normal. Even though this farm seemed devoid of it, I found my happiness here."

"Do you see?" concluded the stallion. "This is _my_ heaven!"

Pinkie listened intently. When she thought about it, she did remember seeing the stallion on the farm once or twice. "How did I kill you?"

The bald stallion traced a circle in the dirt. "Look and see."

The mares looked inside.

* * *

><p><em>"TAG! You're it!"<em>

_ Pinkie started to run from her sister. They had the day off in celebration of Pinkie receiving her cutie mark. She and her sisters were caught up in a game of tag._

_ They squealed with laughter as they crossed a set of train tracks._

_ All of a sudden, the screeching of metal was heard. Pinkie froze on the tracks and looked to see a train barreling towards her. She jumped out of the way in time and watched as the train slowed to a stop._

_ "TAG!" shouted her sister as she pressed her hoof to the pink filly's side. Pinkie smiled as she took off after her sister._

_ From another point of view, a stallion was driving a train to pick up an order of rocks from a good friend of his. It was a beautiful day, without a cloud in the sky. His daydreaming was interrupted when he saw three fillies crossing the tracks mere yards from him. He threw on the emergency break, and the train started to slow down. The pink filly managed to jump out of the way in time, but the conductor inside, startled by how close tragedy came, feels his heart pumping furiously due to the sudden jolt of adrenaline he received. Unfortunately, the organ was unable to handle the stress, and the stallion slumped to the floor. When he was found, it was too late to revive him. As the body was taken away, the ponies at the scene looked in wonder as it was totally devoid of hair._

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

The stallion gives his lesson.

Please remember to rate and review. If you have _any_ suggestions, please let me know.


	3. The First Lesson

"OHMYGOODNESSIAMSOSORRYIDIDN'TMEANITOHNOOHNOOHNO..."

"I know you didn't mean to, Pinkie. You were a filly. How could you know?"

The pink mare looked up at the bald figure. Her mane had deflated. "I now have to pay for that, am I?"

"For what?"

Pinkie looked down again. "For... killing you?"

The stallion laughed. "Don't worry, Pinkie. It was an accident. However, I am here to teach you. Everyone you meet here has something to teach you."

Twilight stepped up. "What do you mean?"

"All lives are connected. You can no more separate two lives from each other than you can a breeze from the wind or a current from the river."

Pinkie Pie started sobbing. "We were playing TAG! I wasn't paying attention. Its not fair that you had to die because of me!"

"Fairness doesn't govern life or death Pinkie." responded the stallion. "No good pony would die young if that were the case."

The stallion waved a hoof in front of the mares, and they found themselves in a cemetery. Nearby, a group of mourners were gathered around a freshly dug grave to pay their last respects.

"This was my funeral. Why did these ponies come? There were some who didn't even know me. Why do ponies gather when other ponies die?"

"It is because everypony realizes somewhere in their hearts that all lives intersect, that all lives affect each other. They might not realize it, but they also know deep down that when somepony dies, somepony else lives. That's where lives are changed."

"You say it wasn't fair for me to die instead of you, but there were times that other ponies died instead of me. However, there is a balance to it all. Birth and death are part of a whole."

"That is why we are drawn to babies and funerals"

The group looked back at the mourners. The Pie family was there, including Pinkie and her sisters.

"What was so important about your death?" asked Pinkie. The bald stallion looked on.

"Do you remember what I said earlier? When somepony dies, there is somepony else that lives. I died. You lived."

Pinkie looked back to the pink filly. She was at the funeral that day, unaware of the role she played in it .

"We didn't know each other. We were just strangers."

The stallion put his foreleg around her. "Strangers are just family we have yet to meet."

The stallion gave the pink mare a warm hug. It seemed to have helped improve Pinkie's mood, as her hair restored itself to the cotton candy appearance it had before. However, much to the astonishment of the mares, the stallion's brown mane and tail started to grow. His coat also came back in the most brilliant shade of blue.

"I must go now. This step of heaven is over for me. However, there are four others who have yet to meet you." The stallion started to walk away.

"WAIT!" shouted Twilight. The stallion stopped and looked at the purple unicorn.

"At the hotel, there was a filly. The hotel was collapsing. I tried to save her. I felt her hooves. Did I push her out of the way?"

"I can't answer that question." replied the stallion with a sad smile. "Somepony else will."

The mares watched as the stallion faded away. They flew away from the cemetery and over the rock farm. Then it was gone.

* * *

><p>A crowd was still gathered around the hotel wreckage. The fire had been contained and the police started their investigation.<p>

"What happened?"

Princess Celestia approached the wreckage, with her younger sister following close behind. She had arrived the day before to talk with the mayor. She was getting ready to return to Canterlot when she heard of the disaster.

"The hotel was completely destroyed." said a nearby officer. "We still do not know the cause of the blaze."

Their conversation was interrupted when another officer came running to them.

"We found some bodies."

The princesses and the officers navigated their way towards the discovery.

Princess Celestia gasped as the first body was pulled out. It was an orange mare with three apples as her cutie mark. Miraculously, her Stetson hat had remained on her forehead.

The next body that was recovered was a pale yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane. The princesses watched in sorrow as a pink earth pony, a spectrum maned cyan pegasus, and a white unicorn were pulled out. The princess's heart sank as the last body was pulled out.

It was a lavender colored unicorn mare with a pink-striped violet mane. Her cutie mark was a magenta six-pointed star with five smaller stars surrounding it.

"TWILIGHT!" cried the sun princess. "TWILIGHT! NOOOO!"

She rushed over to Twilight's lifeless form and wept as she cradled her in her forehooves.

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

The second pony takes the mares back to when they were prisoners of war. Now that I have your attention, please give feedback, no matter how harsh it is.


	4. The Second Pony

KABOOM!

"What the hay? Wha' type a' heaven is this?" exclaimed Applejack. The friends looked around in amazement.

They were in a war-torn field. Trees were burning. Rubble was strewn all over the land. The smoke turned the sky into a gloomy orange backdrop. The sound of fire and explosions filled the girls' ears. The rock farm seem like paradise compared to this nightmare.

"What is this place? I don't like it." squeaked Fluttershy. It was Rainbow Dash's turn to try and comfort the sensitive pegasus.

"Let's get out of here." shouted Twilight.

The girls started to run. Rarity stopped when she saw they were approaching a muddy field.

"Oh, this simply won't do! Is there another way around this?" she asked as she looked around.

"Come on Rarity!" shouted Twilight. "Now is not the time to worry about your appearance!"

Rarity opened her mouth to protest, but a glare from the purple unicorn was enough to stop her. The fashionista slowly stepped into the mud.

The girls kept running. They soon found themselves next to what appeared to be a campsite, or what used to be a campsite. Everything inside was burning. All of a sudden, they heard an explosion nearby.

"Everypony, get down!" hollered Rainbow Dash, who proceeded to lie on her stomach and pulled herself forward with her forelegs. The others did the same, with the exception of Fluttershy, who had simply fainted. Twilight grabbed her tail and caught up with the others.

They eventually came to a nearby hill. On the top, they found six swords thrust into the ground with a helmet adorning each one, makeshift memorials to those who were killed in action. The mares proceeded to read the names on the helmets. They were horrified at what they saw.

The names on the helmets were their own.

* * *

><p><em>The six girls were gathered around a table at Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash put down the newspaper she was reading. The others at the table looked at the headline:<em>

_**MANEHATTEN THREATENS TO SECEDE FROM EQUESTRIA**_

_ "Whoa nelly!" exclaimed Applejack. "I always knew tha' Manehatten had a lotta disagreements with Canterlot, but I never knew it would get this bad."_

_ "I really don't know why they're doing it." responded Twilight, sipping her juice. "I know that they have been upset with the princess over taxes, even though they've got the lowest rates. I also know that they have been denied requests for more representation in the parliament."_

_ Their discussion was interrupted when they heard Spike belch nearby. "Twilight, you got a letter from the princess!" he said._

_ Twilight grabbed the scroll and read it silently to herself. Her eyes widened as she finished reading it._

_ "Girls, the princess needs us at Canterlot right away!"_

* * *

><p><em>"We got here as soon as we could!" shouted Twilight as she and her friends ran into the castle's entrance. Princess Celestia was waiting for her there.<em>

_ "Thank you Twilight for coming on such short notice." said the princess. Twilight sensed some worry in her voice._

_ "I am sorry it led up to this, but Manehatten has seceded from Equestria. Fillydelphia and Hoofington have also joined their cause. They have built up an army, the Equestrian Liberation Army, and are moving their forces toward Canterlot as we speak. We do not have enough soldiers to face this new threat. Our only hope lies with our griffin allies to the north providing us with with extra soldiers. I am unable to talk to the ruler myself, since I have to oversee the training of new recruits. Can you undertake this task?"_

_ Twilight was more than willing to accept. However, she thought of the five mares accompanying her. It would take at least two days to reach the border of the Griffin kingdom. Who would take care of her friends' duties while they were gone?_

_ Princess Celestia seemed to be aware of their situation. "I will have some of my servants help your family with your farm, Applejack. I will also send someone to take care of your animals, Fluttershy."_

_ "Alrighty then, yer majesty!" hollered Applejack. "Ah'll do it!"_

_ "You can count on me!" said Rainbow Dash, performing a few loops in the air._

_ "Of course, princess!"_

_ "Umm, okay..."_

_ "OKIE DOKIE LOKI!"_

_ "Thank you, my little ponies. The road you will travel on is very close to ELA occupied territory, so I will have a squad of my finest soldiers accompany you. The fate of Equestria lies in your hooves. Good luck!"_

* * *

><p>Back in heaven, the girls continued to stare at the helmets. Words could not describe the horror they were feeling at the moment. Twilight prayed that she could escape from this nightmare.<p>

"Hay fever..." a voice broke the silence.

The group of friends jumped in fright. Fluttershy hid behind Applejack. "Who was that?" she asked with trembling in her voice.

"Charley Horse, Cutie Pox, the Trots..." continued the voice. "All these shots, all these immunizations, and yet I died healthy as a... as a... oh forget it!"

Twilight recognized the voice. However she couldn't put a face to it. She located where the voice was coming from: a cave located about two hundred feet from her. The friends approached the cave warily.

"Hello? Are you in there?"

"Yes."

"Come out!"

"Come in."

The mares did as they were told. Twilight lit up her horn to see in front of her, but soon extinguished the light as she noticed another light source ahead.

They approached a campfire. Sitting next to it was a brilliant white pegasus stallion wearing the armor of the Royal Guard. The armor was dented and tarnished, and multiple scars adorned the pegasus' body. Twilight immediately recognized the guard.

"Captain Ironhoof!"

* * *

><p>"I've been waiting for you."<p>

The mares stood in amazement. This was the leader of the squad that accompanied them on their ill-fated journey to receive aid from the griffins. The stallion chuckled quietly.

"You weren't expecting me now, were you?" The girls stood with their mouths open. Finally, Fluttershy found her voice.

"Are we dead?"

"Yes."

"Are you dead as well?"

The stallion laughed. "What do you think?"

"Are you our second pony?"

"I am, Fluttershy. Like the bald stallion, I was taught by five ponies, and then I came here to wait for you."

"Why?"

Ironhoof stood up and walked toward the mouth of the cave. "Come with me."

* * *

><p><em>"Here's the plan, ladies." said the captain as they surveyed a map of Equestria laid out before them. "We will take this road up to Trottingham, where we will rest for the night. This will be the last settlement until we reach the capital. We need to use extreme caution between Trottingham and the border, as it is very close to ELA occupied territory. Are you ready to go?" The girls nodded.<em>

_ The captain, the six element bearers, and four guards by the names of Skyblade, Lightning Bolt, Steel Tail, and Gold Sword set off on the road to Trottingham. The first day was uneventful, and they arrived in the town just as the sun was setting. After a good night's rest, the ponies set out again before the sun rose._

_ "Miss Dash," said the captain, looking up to see the weatherpony performing stunts in the air. "we cannot risk allowing the ELA to see our movements. We need you to walk with the rest of us." Rainbow Dash grumbled, but complied with the captain._

_ The group continued walking when they came to a thicket of trees near the side of the road. "We'll rest here for the night." said the commanding officer._

_ They pitched their tents and ate their dinner, which consisted of daisy sandwiches and dried fruit. They didn't build a fire, as they feared it would attract any ELA soldiers nearby. Two of the guards stood guard while the others went to sleep._

_ Twilight tossed in her sleeping bag. She could not get comfortable. It didn't help that there were several rocks underneath her tent. She eventually was able to fall asleep, despite the discomfort._

_ "Eep!"_

_ The bookworm recognized the voice as that of her timid yellow friend. Thinking that she just had another nightmare, Twilight settled back into her sleeping bag. She didn't notice the figure walking into her tent._

_ "Get up!"_

_ Twilight jumped in fright. She looked up to see a dark colored unicorn holding a sword to her throat._

* * *

><p><em> Twilight never felt this scared in her life.<em>

_ The ELA, knowing the desperation of Princess Celestia, had been waiting along the route to the griffin capital, figuring that she would send messengers to the griffin kingdom. They struck when the group was resting._

_ Twilight thought of attacking the unicorn with her magic, but she realized that her other friends were most likely caught as well. She stood still._

_ The unicorn ordered Twilight out of the tent. She stepped outside to find the other members of her band rounded up in the center of the camp. Rarity was trying to comfort a sobbing Fluttershy._

_ The magician felt something being slipped onto her neck. It was a magic-supression device. Rarity had one on her neck as well. The pegasi had their wings tied securely to them. The guards had been stripped of their weapons._

_ When the soldiers weren't looking, Lightning Bolt started to run, hoping he could find any sort of help. The leader of the soldiers, upon noticing the running stallion, grabbed a crossbow, lined up his shot, and fired. The bolt hit Lightning Bolt in the back of the neck, and he crumbled to the ground. The mares screamed in horror._

_ "SILENCE!" screamed the leader. "If anyone else tries to escape, we will kill all of you!"_

_ The defenseless party was soon thrown into a nearby cart and locked in. It set off into the unknown._

* * *

><p>The captain stood outside the cave, with the six friends right behind. Applejack tapped him on the shoulder.<p>

"Pardon me, Cap'n Ironhoof..."

"At your service."

"Ya look... look like..."

"The last time you saw me?" The captain nodded in approval. "Yes. You don't get sick up here, and the food is incredible."

Applejack frowned. "Ah don't mean ta interrupt, but what are we doin' here?"

Captain Ironhoof gazed into the farmer's emerald eyes. "I see you stayed together."

Applejack smiled. "That's what good friends do!"

The captain nodded. "What about Steel Tail and Golden Sword? Did you ever get together with them after the war?"

The apple farmer shook her head.

"What did you do then?"

"We jus' went back to our livelihoods. Except me, o' course. Ah would've gone back to buckin' trees, but mah leg was busted up. Ah would wonder why it happened. Why couldn't Ah have just died instead."

A tear formed in the farmer's eye. The captain noticed it, but turned to Pinkie instead.

"Pinkie, do you still juggle?"

* * *

><p><em>The mares and guards were thrown into a little wooden shack and locked in. They slept on the hard floor.<em>

_ They were awoken at dawn the next day. A soldier kicked a bowl of what looked like oatmeal towards the prisoners. Pinkie looked in the bowl._

_ "Eww! Why'd you put bugs in here? You soldiers know it makes everything taste icky!"_

_ The soldier hit the pink mare in the back of the head. Pinkie scowled as she rubbed where she was hit._

_ "How dare you!"_

_ Everyone in the room looked at Fluttershy. She was using her stare against the soldier._

_ "You may have captured us and treated us mean, but YOU! DON'T! HURT! MY! FRIENDS!"_

_ Unfortunately, her stare had no effect against the soldier. He walked over and shoved the pegasus onto the floor. Rainbow Dash stood up to confront the brute stallion when he pulled out a knife._

_"The next pony that speaks gets their tongue cut out. Now shut up and eat your food!"_

_ The prisoners did as they were told. After the horrid meal, the group was led towards a cave. Shovels, pickaxes, and other tools lay at the mouth of the cave._

_ "Its a mine!" exclaimed one of the guards._

_ "That's right." said one of the soldiers with malice in his voice._

_ The prisoners were forced to dig coal for the enemy's war efforts. Rarity tried to whine, recalling how successful it was against the Diamond Dogs, but she quickly learned that the soldiers were not Diamond Dogs as she was promptly punched in the face and ordered to get to work._

_ The working conditions were abysmal. The air was murky. The prisoners were allowed only one water break. The soldiers would yell at them just for the sake of yelling. After sunset, the prisoners were forced back into the shack, where they would sleep for the night._

* * *

><p><em> Days soon became weeks, and weeks soon became months. Black marks smudged the prisoners' coats. They became more exhausted. They got skinnier, and soon their ribs were visible. Even Applejack was not immune to the effects of undernourishment.<em>

_ One day, during their fourth month in captivity, Skyblade got very ill. He threw up one night and shivered uncontrollably during his sleep. He was still forced to go to the mine with the other prisoners. However, he could barely stand. The soldiers showed no pity, prodding him with weapons in order to make him dig faster._

_ Fluttershy, who was scraping coal nearby, saw what was happening. "Stop it!" she cried, before one of the soldiers slapped her across the cheek._

_ Skyblade dug a little more, and then he collapsed. The soldiers screamed at him to get up._

_ "HE'S SICK!" screamed the yellow pegasus. She tried to move to him to tend to him, but this resulted in a second slap._

_ "Stop it, 'Shy!" said Rainbow Dash, who was pulling a cart past them. "Who knows what they'll do to ya."_

_ One of the soldiers, presumably the leader, opened Skyblade's eyelids, resulting in a groan from the stricken guard. Then, without warning, he grabbed his sword and plunged it into Skyblade's side as the two mares watched._

_ Fluttershy's brain went numb. She watched helplessly as blood spurted out around the guard's body. She was too shocked to move, or even to cry. Rainbow vomited the contents of her stomach on the ground beneath her._

_ The leader then ordered two of his subordinates to move the body. They stood in silence, shocked at what they saw. The leader screamed again, and they each grabbed a hind leg and dragged Skyblade's body out of the cave._

_ The shack was silent that night. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. They were talking to each other in the corner, trying to comfort each other over what had happened earlier._

_ "I think the ELA is desperate."_

_ Twilight looked over at Ironhoof. "Why do you say that."_

_ "The way they were treating Skyblade prior to killing him indicated to me that they needed every prisoner possible to mine for coal, even if they are half-dead. I think the ELA is losing the war!" _

_ A week or so later, Twilight noticed several holes dug outside the camp. The captain noticed it as well._

_ "They've realized they've lost. They're digging our graves!"_

* * *

><p><em> That night, as the moon was beginning to rise, Pinkie watched as the soldier outside their shack was trying to juggle two rocks with little success.<em>

_ "Hey girls!" whispered the pink pony. "We're getting out of here!"_

_ "Are ya' crazy, Pinkie?" chided Applejack. "How do ya' know it'll work?"_

_ Pinkie pointed to the guard outside. "Are you silly, AJ? I can juggle."_

_ She then caught the soldier's attention. "Hey, silly! That's not how you juggle! Here! Let me show you!"_

_ The soldier looked at Pinkie cautiously. She proceeded to give him the goofiest grin imaginable. After a few seconds, the guard grabbed his sword and shoved the rocks over to the pink pony._

_ Pinkie grabbed the rocks and started to juggle effortlessly. She proceeded to hum her favorite Equestria Girls song. The soldier looked as if he was enjoying himself._

_ "Do you have any more rocks?" asked Pinkie. The soldier ran outside. He came back in shortly, along with three other guards, including the one Fluttershy recognized as Skyblade's killer. The soldier tossed Pinkie another rock. _

_ Pinkie started juggling again. The soldiers laughed as Pinkie started to dance on her hind legs._

_ "And a one..."_

_ Pinkie juggled faster._

_ "And a two..."_

_ The prisoners gathered around the juggler. They knew what she was up to, and they got ready to pounce._

_ "And a one, two, three, NOW!"_

_ With speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud, Pinkie grabbed the rocks in mid-air and threw them at the soldiers, knocking three of them out. The fourth soldier fumbled with his weapon, but was unable to handle it, and was tackled by the prisoners._

_ Ironhoof grabbed a sword and thrust it into one of the soldier's throats. Rainbow Dash walked up to the stallion that killed Skyblade. She glared at him, and then proceeded to buck his head with a force that would rival Applejack's. He lay still afterwards._

_ Within moments, all four of the soldiers were dead._

* * *

><p><em> The group quietly trekked across the campsite. They thought that they would encounter more soldiers, but they found the camp to be empty. They wondered amongst themselves how long it has been since it was just the four soldiers.<em>

_ They broke into one of the buildings, where they found various weapons, including crossbows and flamethrowers._

_ "Lets burn this place!"_

* * *

><p><em> "OK, everypony! Back here in 5 minutes! Understood?"<em>

_ The group nodded in approval. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie threw bombs into the mine shaft while the other ponies used the flamethrowers to burn the buildings in the camp._

_ Rarity squeezed the trigger of the flamethrower. She smiled as she watched the huts erupt in flames. Applejack watched nearby. It was over. No more mining. No more coarse meals. She heard the captain pull a cart into the camp. She could finally go home..._

_ Something caught the farmer's eye. She looked in the burning building. She blinked._

_ She could have sworn that she saw something moving around inside. It looked like a filly._

_ "Hello?" cried Applejack. "Come on out, hon. Ah won't hurt ya!"_

_ "C'mon, AJ!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "We got to go!"_

_ "Hold on! Somepony is in there!"_

_ "It's empty! Let's go!"_

_ Rainbow Dash clamped down on Applejack's tail, but the orange mare simply bucked the pegasus away. She stepped into the building._

_ "If you're in there, come out! We won't..."_

_ A searing pain shot through Applejack's leg. She crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain. She looked at her leg. A crossbow bolt was embedded in her flank. Blood poured out of the wound as she lost consciousness._

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

The captain gives his lesson.

Remember to rate and review. If you guys really think this sucks, I will stop here.


	5. The Second Lesson

"Do you remember how you got out?" asked the captain.

"Ah don't. Wha' happened?"

"You were out of it for two days. You lost a lot of blood."

"But Ah made it."

Applejack looked back at the scar. The doctors had successfully removed the bolt, but it had broken the leg bone underneath. The doctors were able to fix the bone after several surgeries, but the pain still lingered. She had indeed survived her ordeal, but her apple bucking days were over.

* * *

><p>"Did you know my ancestors served in the Royal Guard ever since it was established?" inquired Captain Ironhoof. The girls shook their heads.<p>

"I learned to use a sword before I got my cutie mark. My father would inspect my room every morning to make sure it was clean. Everything was 'Yes, sir!' or 'No, sir!'. I was used to taking orders. Eventually, I joined the Royal Guard and was giving orders."

"Commanding during peacetime is much different than during war. Many of the new recruits get scared. They feel that their commanding officer knows much more than they do. They feel that he will keep them alive. Did you have that feeling with me?"

The mares nodded in approval.

"I thought so, too. However, I couldn't. With that, I made it my goal to keep you all together, to get you home. I made sure none of you were left behind."

Applejack smiled. "That was much appreciated, partner."

"I sure hope it was."

Applejack looked at the captain with a look of confusion in her eyes. "Why did ya' say that?"

The captain looked in her eyes, then pointed at the farmer's leg.

"I was the one who shot you."

* * *

><p>Applejack froze. She looked back at the scar again and felt the pain again. She looked back at the captain with a look of confusion. Then, without warning, she smacked the captain across the face with her forehoof. The other girls gasped.<p>

"How could you?" Applejack snarled as she threw another punch. However, the captain didn't flinch.

"Woah, WOAH, AJ!" cried Rainbow Dash from behind her. "Calm down!"

"You stay outta this, missy!" hollered Applejack, shoving the spectrum maned pegasus away. She turned her attention back to Ironhoof.

"My leg! My life! Why? WHY?"

The orange mare continued to punch the captain. Suddenly, he grabbed her foreleg mid swing and flung her onto her back.

"You could have died in the fire. It wasn't your time."

Applejack was back on her feet. "Mah time?"

"Yes. You were obsessed with whatever was in that hut. Rainbow Dash here tried to stop you, but you knocked her out pretty good."

Applejack glared at the captain. "You took mah leg!"

Ironhoof shook his head. "I shot your leg to save your life.

The farmer stepped back. The moments leading up to being shot flew across her mind. She sat down and began to weep.

"There wasn't anyone in there." she cried. "Why didn't I die? I was bein' stupid. I shoulda died there."

"Remember what I said?" the captain spoke up. "No one gets left behind. What happened to you happens to soldiers all the time. They just stop thinking properly. They stop in the middle of fighting and just stare blankly ahead. They usually get killed. For you, you lost it with about a minute before we had to go. I figured a leg would would heal. We got you out of there and the others got you to a hospital."

"What do you mean, the others?" inquired Applejack.

"Remember what I said in the beginning? All those shots and immunizations? All worthless..."

* * *

><p><em> Ironhoof and the remaining guards started to pull the cart out of the camp. Inside, the girls were tending to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Both of them were unconscious.<em>

_ They approached the gate to the camp. Ironhoof bucked open the gate and trudged down the path to see if it was clear. After moving fifty or so yards down the road, he motioned for the guards to follow._

_ A hissing sound was heard. The captain looked down, but it was too late._

_ The mine exploded. Ironhoof's body flew twenty feet into the air before falling to rest on the earth below._

* * *

><p>"OH SWEET CELESTIA! OH GOODNESS! I'M SORRY!"<p>

Ironhoof looked away. Applejack frowned.

"You were waiting fer us all this time..."

"Time." The captain chuckled. "Time isn't the same here as it is on earth. Death isn't what you think it is, either. Ponies see it as an end. In reality, it is only the beginning. Heaven is where you make sense of your life."

"Like the bald stallion said, there are five ponies you meet in heaven. They each crossed your path, and they each have a story to share with you. Here is what you need to learn from me."

* * *

><p>"Sacrifice. We all make them. Big ones. Small ones. You made one, Applejack, and I made one. You were angry, however. You felt you lost something."<p>

"You didn't get it. Sacrifice is something to aspire to. It is not something to regret. A mare works so her colt can go to school. A stallion moves home to take care of his mother. A stallion goes to war..."

The captain sighed, then looked Applejack in the eye.

"Lightning Bolt and Skyblade didn't die for nothing. They sacrificed for their families, the princesses, for Equestria. Their sons became fine Royal Guards because they were inspired by them."

"I didn't die for nothing, either. What if I hadn't stepped on that mine? The cart would've rolled onto that mine instead."

Rarity spoke up. "But captain, you died. You lost everything."

Ironhoof smiled at the fashion designer. "That's the thing with sacrifice. Sometimes, when you sacrifice something, you don't really lose it. You just pass it on to someone else."

"I did shoot you, Applejack, and you did lose your leg, but you gained something. You didn't know it yet. I lost my life, but I gained something as well."

The mares looked at the stallion quizzically.

"I got to keep my promise. No one gets left behind."

He held a foreleg to Applejack. "Do you forgive me about the leg?"

Applejack looked at the leg. She remembered the anger she felt, but it turned to shame after hearing Ironhoof's story. She held out her own. The captain shook it.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>The friends followed Ironhoof as he walked up the hill. They recognized their memorials on the top of it.<p>

"Um, pardon me, sir," squeaked Fluttershy, "but why did you come to this scary place to wait for us? You can choose, can you?"

The captain looked around. "I grew up in a war family. I knew nothing but war. I was killed in these hills. I wanted to know what the world was like without war."

"What?" said Rainbow Dash, observing the charred landscape. "This _is_ war!"

"To you, it is. However, you don't see what I see."

Ironhoof waves a foreleg in front of the group. All of a sudden, the smoke faded away, the trees blossomed, the grass grew, and the sky turned to the most cheerful shade of blue.

"This is what I see."

The girls looked at the captain again. His scars were gone, and his armor was suddenly polished.

"This step of heaven is over for me now. There are others waiting for you."

"Captain! Before you go, I want to ask you something."

Ironhoof paused. "And what is it you want to ask?"

"The filly, at the hotel. Did I save her?"

"That is not for me to answer."

The stallion then walked to the memorials and proceeded to grab the helmets.

"These are yours." he said as he tossed them to the friends.

He then walked off. The girls looked at their helmets. When they looked back up, the captain was gone.

* * *

><p>Spike walked back to the library. He had just finished feeding Fluttershy's animals. Twilight would be back that afternoon.<p>

He checked the library to make sure it was clean for when the occupant would return home. He then proceeded to cook dinner for the unicorn.

The dragon waited. She said she would be back this afternoon. Where was she? Spike looked at the calendar to make sure he didn't have the wrong day.

Spike slept alone that night. He was scared and confused. Where was Twilight?

The next day, he checked around her other friends' homes. None of them had come back yet.

Spike went back to the library and began to write a letter when he heard hoofsteps behind him.

"Good grief, Twilight! Did you know how worried I..." Spike turned and saw Princess Celestia standing behind him.

"Princess Celestia?" said the dragon. "What are you doing here? Do you know where Twilight is?"

He looked into the princess's eyes. Her somber expression told Spike something was wrong.

"What's going on, Celestia?" Spike dropped the formalities. "Twilight's all right, isn't she? Tell me she is all right! What about the others? Are they all right?"

Tears formed in the princess's eyes. It took all of her power to tell Spike the sad truth.

"They're dead."

The words cut through Spike like a sharp knife. Looking into the princess's eyes, he could tell it was not a joke.

"Twilight... dead?"

The princess bowed her head somberly.

"No! NO!"

Spike ran upstairs to his bedroom, tears streaming down his face.

Celestia's heart ached as she heard Spike sobbing in the room upstairs. She left the library and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres to bring the sad news to the Apple family...

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

What is Rainbow Dash's father doing in the third pony's heaven?

Once again, rate and review!


	6. The Third Pony

The girls landed on a snow covered field.

"Finally," said Rarity happily as she looked around her. "This is what heaven _should_ look like! This is absolutely beautiful!"

A road cut through the field. A little town lay on the road a little ways down.

The six mares walked down the road. A sign welcoming them to Coltorado Springs stood just outside the town limits.

The first building the came to was a diner. Twilight and her friends looked in through the windows. A couple were eating quietly in the corner. A brown unicorn stallion was eating his food rapidly. Plates of food were waiting on a nearby counter. No one inside seemed to notice the girls looking in. Twilight had to hold back Pinkie from going inside to devour the waiting meals before they arrived at their intended recepients.

Rainbow Dash watched as the ponies inside devoured their meals. She looked at the table in the corner. She didn't believe what she saw.

The stallion sitting there had a light gray coat. His cutie mark was that of a sun partially obscured by a white cloud. His cyan eyes looked quietly ahead as he ate his sunflower pancakes. However, the most striking feature about him was the spectrum-colored mane. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.

"Dad?"

* * *

><p><em> Rainbow Dash's fillyhood was not a joyous one. When she was still a foal, her father ignored her. He never held her, unless she broke a rule. If that was the case, Rainbow's father would handle her roughly. Rainbow's mother became the source of affection.<em>

_ Rainbow's father worked in the weather factory. Every so often, he would bring his daughter with him. After arriving, he would just hand her over to another worker, where she would wait with them until he came back, often drunk on salt licks, to pick her up._

_ Rainbow often vied for her father's affection, but all she would get in response was a grunt. One day, when he invited his friends over to their house to play cards, she looked over his shoulder. He pushed her away, saying "Stop looking over my shoulder, squirt."_

_ Rainbow's father was also violent. One night, when he was very drunk, he barged into Rainbow's room, startling the filly. He threw her Wonderbolt toys down the hall and hit her, yelling at her to stop wasting her allowance bits on junk. She ran over to her mother and started to cry while she tried to hide behind her. Her mother tried to get the stallion to change his ways, but it usually didn't work._

_When Rainbow Dash was five, she got an acceptance letter from the Cloudsdale Flight Academy. She ran into the kitchen and showed the letter to her parents._

_"What? Is the factory not good enough for ya?"_

_Rainbow frowned. "But, daddy..."_

_"Don't but me, squirt. Yer gonna work with me at the factory, where I'll show ya how ta be a weatherpony!"_

_"Dear!"_

_Rainbow and her father looked over at her mother. "What's wrong with her going to the academy?"_

_"She's lazy! That's what!"_

_Eventually, the two were able to come to an agreement. Rainbow would attend the academy, but she would join her father at the factory after classes were done for the day. It didn't matter for Rainbow. She was in the academy, and that was all that mattered._

* * *

><p><em>The next week, Rainbow had her first day of classes. At three, her father came to pick her up. At the factory, Rainbow learned the different tasks of being a weatherpony, including how to move clouds, mix rainbows, and crafting snowflakes. After a few months, he started to simply quiz her on weatherpony tasks. Upon completing a task, she would show her father, who would just reply with a grunt of approval.<em>

_One day, Rainbow ran to her father and showed him her cutie mark that she got earlier that day._

_"Good job, kid."_

_Rainbow frowned. She expected more enthusiasm from her father. This was an important milestone in a pony's life. She decided to put these thougts to rest as she took off for the factory._

* * *

><p><em>Years went by, and Rainbow graduated from the academy. She was also allowed to do weather manipulation outside the factory. The mare was glad that she could finally fly in the open sky, and not be cooped up in the factory. Her speed and agility allowed her to complete her tasks very quickly, thus allowing her to practice for the Wonderbolts or to hang out with her new friends. Her father was furious. He tried to prevent her from being with her friends, but it was all in vain.<em>

* * *

><p><em> One day, Rainbow's father drunkenly stumbled into the house to find his daughter resting on the couch. She had sprained her wing earlier that day.<em>

_ "GET UP!"_

_ The cyan mare jumped in surprise. She turned her head to look at her father._

_ "GET UP!"_

_ "Dad, my wing's hurt. Can you let me rest it?"_

_ "GET UP AND GET TO WORK!"_

_ "Leave me alone!" screamed Rainbow Dash. She jumped to her hooves._

_ "See, you aren't that hurt!" mumbled the father. He raised his foreleg to throw another punch at the mare, but Rainbow reacted and slapped the hoof out of the way._

_"THAT'S ENOUGH!"_

_ Rainbow breathed heavilly. She had shouted at her father. She gazed into his cyan eyes. The stallion also looked at her with widened eyes. This was the first time that she had ever defended herself. He pulled back his hoof and walked away._

_ They never spoke to each other again._

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash kept staring into the diner. Her memory was plagued by memories of neglect, violence, and silence. She didn't know what to feel. One part of her hated her father for what he had done to her, but another part of her longed for the affection she never got from the rainbow maned stallion. She banged on the window.<p>

"Dad? DAD! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

He continued to stare ahead. It seemed no one in the diner could hear the weatherpony's cries.

"DANG IT, DAD! PLEASE! LISTEN TO ME!"

Rainbow's friends watched as she continued to bang on the window. Hot tears were streaming down her face.

"He can't hear you."

The mares perked their ears up. They turned their heads to the source of the sound.

An elderly red unicorn mare stood before them. She donned a hat so fancy that it put those worn by the Canterlot elite to shame. The dress she wore obscured her cutie mark.

"I wasn't always this rich. Back when I was a filly, I worked here at the diner, along with my sisters. Every bit we made went to the family."

Rainbow Dash interrupted. "What's my father doing here, then?"

"Your father isn't really here. His spirit is here, safe and sound, as part of my heaven."

"Why is he so important to you?"

The mare looked at the spectrum maned weatherpony quietly.

"Come with me."

* * *

><p>They walked away from the diner and approached an empty field. The light from the diner was just a speck now.<p>

Pinkie looked at the mare. She recalled seeing her _somewhere_, but she couldn't recall where.

Twilight looked back at the diner. "Are you our third pony?"

The red unicorn nodded in approval.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "Can we go back?"

"Back?"

"Yeah, back to our lives? None of this makes sense."

"What doesn't make sense?"

"None of this makes sense!" hollered Twilight. "There was a fire, in the hotel. There was a filly. I tried to save her! I felt her hooves! That was before we... before we..."

The mare smiled somberly. "Died? Passed away? Bought the farm?"

Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "Who are you, anyways? I don't know you!"

"But I know you, Rainbow Dash. Let me explain."

* * *

><p>"I was born here in Coltorado Springs. My family, like I said, was very poor, and all of us had to work to make ends meet. I worked in the diner, the Haystack Barbecue, for several years as I went to school. I was attractive back then, and my sisters would tell me to find a stallion before age took its toll."<p>

"One day, a brown earth stallion walked into the barbecue. He was finely dressed. I saw him looking over at me as I served plates. When I went to collect his bill, he said his name was Cocoa and he asked for my number. My sisters would no longer have to pester me again!"

"We married after six months of dating. Cocoa was a wealthy man, due to his work as a confectioner. He bought me food and clothes that I never dreamed of getting. After living in Coltorado Springs for two years, we moved to Ponyville."

"Cocoa liked taking risks. When he got an idea, he invested all his time into it. While in Ponyville, he wanted to start building a new sweet shop. He bought all the building materials and all the equipment. He spent a year building it. One day, he blindfolded me and let me to the new shop. He took off the blindfold."

Pinkie realized where she saw this mare before. She remembered seeing a picture of her hanging on a wall in the main room of Sugarcube Corner. With the exception of the gray hair, the unicorn that stood before her was an exact carbon copy of the mare in the picture.

"Ooh, ooh! I know who you are now!" the party caterer hollered excitedly as she bounced up and down.

The mare smiled.

"I am Sugarcube."

* * *

><p>The mares dropped their jaws. Sugarcube chuckled.<p>

"Did you ever wonder how Sugarcube Corner got its name?"

None of them had ever thought of it before. The mare continued.

"It was a very successful business. However, a little while after it opened, it was destroyed in a fire. We lost everything. Cocoa tried to save it, but he was severely injured doing so."

"We sold the remains to the Cakes, who rebuilt it. The name stayed, but it wasn't ours. We moved back to Coltorado Springs, where we spent the rest of our days living modestly. Cocoa wasn't the same since the accident. He spent his fortune building Sugarcube Corner, and it was all gone. He died a few months after the fire due to complications from the injuries he received. I wished to myself that he never built it in the first place."

Rainbow Dash snorted. "OK, so Sugarcube Corner was named after you. Nice story and all, but why are you telling us this? This all happened before we were born."

The unicorn looked at Rainbow. "Don't you see? Because I met Cocoa, we married, we moved to Ponyville, and we built Sugarcube Corner, where the pink one here worked." she said as she pointed a hoof at Pinkie. "Actions from the past can still affect your life."

"So that's it?" said Rainbow Dash. "That's the lesson we need to learn from you?"

Sugarcube shook her head.

"I'm going to tell you why your father died."

* * *

><p><em>Rainbow Dash was working in the weather factory when he got the news.<em>

_ His father was found unconscious on the streets in Coltorado Springs. She though her father drank too much alcohol again. He had also contracted pneumonia. Her mother wished for her to visit him in the hospital._

_ Rainbow angrily crumbled the letter that her mother sent her. Her mother blamed herself for the state that her father was in. What did she do? It was her drunken father's fault._

_ The cyan pegasus kept her job at the factory, intending to turn it over to her father once he recovered from the hospital. However, days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Her mother would go to the hospital often and stay with her husband._

_ One night, Rainbow finally let go of her pride and went to the hospital. He was very weak. Multiple tubes and wires were hooked up to the stallion's body. She sat in silence as she watched her father look over at her. Even if he did want to speak to her, he was too weak to do so. After an hour, she walked out of the hospital without saying a word._

_ The next day, Rainbow got word that her father passed away in his sleep. The mare never felt angrier. Deep down, Rainbow wanted her father to be a legend, to die a hero's death. Nothing was legendary or heroic about being found in a drunken stupor on the street._

_ After her father's death, Rainbow Dash moved back in with her mother. She continued to work at the factory to support both of them. She hated the factory. Since that fateful day, Rainbow cursed her father for effectively trapping her in the factory._

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

How much does Rainbow Dash really know about her father?

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, RATE AND REVIEW!_  
><em>


	7. The Third Lesson

"You still worked at the factory, didn't you?"

Rainbow shuddered at the question. "I never really liked it there. The only reason I worked there was to support me and my mother. I couldn't leave. I would do the same stuff every day, just like..." she couldn't finish her thought.

"Your father?"

Rainbow Dash scowled.

"Was he that hard on you?" Sugarcube asked.

"He ignored me! He hit me! He yelled at me! WHAT DO YOU THINK?" The weatherpony's cheeks started to turn red with anger. However, the aged mare didn't seem to notice.

"Were you hard on him?"

"NO! Do you know what he said to me the last time we spoke? 'Get to work!' Some father..."

"But you did! That means you still had respect for him."

"You don't even know him!" Rainbow was fuming at this point. Her friends swore they could see steam coming out her ears.

"True, true," muttered Sugarcube, "But I know something you don't. Let me show you the final events of your father's life."

* * *

><p>The unicorn's horn proceeded to glow. A bubble appeared before them. The six friends felt themselves being sucked into the bubble.<p>

Rainbow's mother was sitting in her living room drinking tea. A dark gray coated stallion sat across from her. Rainbow recognized the stallion as Thundercloud, one of his father's best friends. He was trembling. He grabbed a bottle of alcohol from his jacket and drank it. The cyan mare wondered what was going to happen.

Without warning, Thundercloud jumped up and started chasing Rainbow's mother. She screamed for help as she fell onto a couch. Thundercloud started to cry as she approached her.

A shout of anger alerted the mares to another presence in the room. They turned to see Rainbow's father standing in the doorway. He grabbed a hammer and went after the gray stallion. He moved out of the way to avoid getting hit by the improvised weapon and ran out of the house. The father glared at the mother before giving chase in the rainstorm outside.

* * *

><p>"WHAT... THE... HAY?"<p>

"What in tarnation just happened?"

"The brute!"

Sugarcube waited patiently as the six mares before her shouted as if they thought it would somehow provide them with the answers to the questions they had. Even Fluttershy dropped her quiet demeanor screamed in disbelief with the others.

Without saying a word, the red unicorn made another bubble.

* * *

><p><em>Thundercloud landed on the streets of Coltorado Springs soaking wet. He staggered into a nearby alley where two stallions were hiding. They grabbed the drunken stallion and started to beat him.<em>

_ Rainbow's father landed shortly afterwards, no drier than his prey. He heard screaming coming from the alley where Thundercloud wandered in. Upon discovering the brawl taking place, Rainbow's father joined the fray._

_ For the next two minutes, the four stallions threw punches at each other. Rainbow's father grabbed his hammer and started swinging it at the attackers. Eventually, the hammer hit one in the mouth, knocking out several teeth. The injured stallion grabbed his companion and ran out of the alley._

_ The two remaining stallions were left severely weakened by the assault. Rainbow's father flung Thundercloud onto his back and slowly walked out of the alley. He tried to find a hospital, but he collapsed onto the street before he could do so._

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash was more confused than ever. "What was she doing?" she asked.<p>

"Saving a friend."

The weatherpony squinted at Sugarcube. "Did you see what that punk did to my mother? I would have just let him get beat up."

"Your father thought the same," replied the red unicorn. "However, he realized Thundercloud was drunk at the time. He remembered that it was Thundercloud that helped him get the job he had at the factory. It was Thundercloud that loaned him extra bits when the family was struggling."

"WHAT ABOUT MY MOM?" Rainbow screamed. "DID YOU SEE WHAT THAT JERK DID TO MY MOM?"

"What he did was wrong, but things are not as they seem. Thundercloud lost his job earlier, and he drank to drown his sorrows. He went to your mother for help. She was going to inform your father."

"Thundercloud wasn't thinking when he went after your mother like that. Your father wasn't thinking when he went after him to hurt him, but in the end, he saved his life."

"He collapsed in the street after the fight. The combination of being drenched from the rain and the cold air resulted in him catching pneumonia. He was taken to the hospital. He was already severely weakened, and he died in time."

"Yeah, thanks to that jerk Thundercloud!" Rainbow interrupted the unicorn.

Sugarcube shook her head. "You are wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"He died because of loyalty."

Rainbow stopped. She thought about what she would have done if she were in that situation. Would she have saved Thundercloud?

"What about Thundercloud? What happened to him?" inquired Rainbow.

"He died sometime later. He drank his way to the grave."

"How come I never heard of the fight?"

"Your father was ashamed about what happened. He never told anyone of what he did. He found refuge in silence, but his thoughts still tormented his mind."

"One night, he got up from his bed and walked to the window. He opened it and called out for his wife. He also called out for you. He said he was sorry for what he had done. He was found dead by the window the next morning. The nurses, not wanting to lose their jobs, moved him back to his bed and said that he died in his sleep."

Rainbow Dash was stunned. She was told he died in his sleep. She didn't know what to believe.

"How do you know this?"

Sugarcube smiled. "Your father didn't have enough money for his own room, nor did the mare occupying the bed next to him."

The six friends looked at her in amazement.

"Age had taken its toll on me, and I was taken to the hospital. I watched as you and your mother came in to visit with him. I watched him as he went to the window that fateful night. I died a few days later. I was taught by my five ponies and came here. I wanted a heaven where people could feel welcome and to feel safe. I waited here for you to tell you my story and what you need to learn from me."

"And what do we need to learn from you?"

"Anger is a poison. We think that anger and hatred harms others, but in reality, it harms us as well. Do you remember how you felt when you first arrived here?"

Rainbow thought back to when she first woke up in heaven. She felt as light as a feather. No worry. No pain.

"No one is born with anger and we lose it as we die. However, before you can move on, you must understand why you feel the way you do and how you can rid yourself of it."

Rainbow looked at her in confusion. The mare concluded her remarks.

"You must forgive your father."

* * *

><p>The six friends found themselves back at the diner. Rainbow's father was still sitting in the table at the corner. The cyan mare slowly walked inside, with her friends following close behind.<p>

Rainbow finally reached the table where her father sat. She sat next to him.

"Dad?" she whispered. The stallion paid no heed, unable to hear her.

"I know the whole story. I know what happened. I was mad at you. I didn't know."

Rainbow stopped. Tears were streaming down her face again. She took a deep breath.

"I forgive you. I'm sorry."

Rarity walked over to her friend and hugged her as the weatherpony cried in her shoulder. They looked back to the entrance, where they saw Sugarcube, young and beautiful, just like in the picture at Sugarcube corner. She smiled, and then vanished.

* * *

><p>"I wonder if mah sister's back yet!"<p>

Applebloom walked with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo past the town hall. They were going back to the farm after another crusading adventure.

"I know. I wonder where Rarity is."

They noticed a crowd of ponies around the town hall. The fillies watched as the Royal Guard moved six coffins into the building.

"What are those?" asked the pegasus filly.

"Mah sister told me about 'em. They hold dead ponies!"

"D... Dead ponies?" Sweetie stuttered. "Who died?"

"I dunno." said Scootaloo. "Let's go find out!"

The fillies walked in with the crowd. They found the coffins sitting at the far end of the room.

"Ah wonder if it's anyone we know!" said Applebloom as she looked into the first casket.

The mare inside had an orange colored coat. Her blonde mane and tail were fashioned into ponytails. A cowboy hat sat atop her head. Her cutie mark was three apples.

"A...A...Applejack?"

The pony in the casket was none other than Applebloom's elder sister.

"B...b...but s...she was...she...but"

The filly started to cry. Applejack promised to be back yesterday. Now she was gone.

"Let me through! Let me through! Let me through!"

Sweetie Belle's ears perked up at the sound of her father's voice. She saw him collapse at the fourth casket in the line, her mother right behind him.

"Dad? Mom?"

She felt the breath squeezed out of her as her parents pulled her into a tight hug. The unicorn filly turned to look in the casket. She gasped at what she saw.

It was Rarity.

"What happened?"

Her parents tried to repeat what the princess had told them earlier. Sweetie didn't hear any of it. Her sister was dead. It didn't matter how it happened. She was gone forever. She cried into her father's shoulder as her parents looked on...

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

"It can't be you!"

I give up asking you to rate and review.


	8. The Fourth Pony

Twilight and company found themselves in a small room.

With the exception of a mirror, nothing else was in the room. When the girls looked in the mirror, they didn't see any reflections. However, they saw a door materialize behind them.

Anxious to get outside, the six ponies ran through the door. Twilight, who was first to run through, suddenly stopped, resulting in the remaining five ponies knocking her down.

On the other side of a door there was a celebration going on. Upon further inspection, the girls concluded it was a wedding reception. The groom was dressed in the finest black suit. Rarity admired the intricate design of the bride's dress. Pinkie Pie was bouncing in joy.

"OH BOY! A PARTY!"

The guests stopped and looked at the mares. They blushed in embarrassment.

"Mighty sorry, y'all!" Applejack spoke up as she grabbed the pink pony's tail before she could make things worse. The mares ran back through the door.

"What the hay?"

Instead of returning to the room that they found themselves in, there was another reception on the other side of the door. The guests were clapping as the mare took the wedding band from the groom.

Before they could be seen, the mares ran through the door again, only to find yet another reception waiting on the other side. Twilight wondered what type of magic was causing this.

Instead of running back through the door, the mares froze where they stood, hoping that somehow they would somehow turn invisible.

"I have been waiting for you."

Fluttershy's ears perked up. She recognized that voice. As she looked ahead, an orange pegasus stallion with bright crimson hair walked up to them. He cast his brilliant yellow eyes on the meek pegasus. She bowed her head in disbelief.

"Fireblazer..."

The stallion smiled.

* * *

><p><em>"Are you okay, AJ?"<em>

_"Ah can handle it."_

_The girls watched as Applejack slowly stepped out of the hospital. It had been a month since they had been rescued. A cast was wrapped around her leg where she had been shot._

_"Thank ya kindly, girls!" said the wounded mare as she joined her friends. "It was sure nice ta have company while the doctors were fixin mah leg up."_

_"Oh, it was no problem at all!" exclaimed Pinkie. "I hope you liked the balloons and streamers and cupcakes and cookies and..."_

_"Ah did, Pinkie. Ah did." The farmer smiled. It was a little annoying to have a get well party every day, but at least it meant that Pinkie was thinking about her._

_"We wanted to go to Turnip Garden to celebrate." said Twilight. "Are you interested?"_

_"Sure! Why not?"_

_The ponies walked out of the hospital and headed for the nearest Turnip Garden._

* * *

><p><em>"Twilight Sparkle. Party of six?"<em>

_"That's us!"_

_"If you will come with me please..."_

_The six mares followed the waiter to their table. They sat down and were handed their menus._

_Fluttershy trembled. This was the first time that she had eaten at a formal restaurant before. She looked at the menu. She couldn't make up her mind. She looked around the room in order to clear her mind somewhat._

_One of the first things she noticed were several stallions sitting a few tables down from them. She watched as one of them looked right at her._

_Her first impulse was to hide, but there was something about those eyes, those magnificent yellow eyes. The stallion smiled as he gazed at the yellow pegasus._

_Fluttershy blushed. She found herself staring back. He was so dreamy, so... so..._

_"FLUTTERSHY!"_

_"Eep!"_

_The animal caretaker hid under the table. She could hear Pinkie laughing._

_"Oh, Fluttershy, you funny filly. How are you going to order if you're hiding under the table?"_

_"Oh... oh... sorry..."_

_Fluttershy picked herself from off the floor and settled on ordering a salad. The waiter walked off with the menus._

_"Hey 'Shy!" said Rainbow Dash. "You had your head in the clouds for a while there. What's up?"_

_"Oh... nothing..."_

_"Don't ya lie to me, missy" blurted Applejack. "I saw ya lookin' at that stallion over there."_

_Fluttershy blushed again._

_"Aw, shucks, Fluttershy." said the farmer upon noticing the change in color of the mare's cheeks. "Nothin's wrong with likin' stallions. Ah hafta admit, those are some fine looking ones there."_

_"But one has to be careful, my dear." argued Rarity. "Remember that imbecile Prince Blueblood?"_

_"That big mean meany-pants?"_

_"Yes, that one Pinkie."_

_Fluttershy sat quietly while her friends talked about stallions they've met. She had been so preoccupied with her animals that she had never thought about them._

_"Uhh...Hello!"_

_"Eep!"_

_Fluttershy dove under the table again._

_"Was it something I said?"_

_The pegasus crawled out from her hiding space. The stallion she had been looking at earlier was standing right by their table. He was an orange pegasus with a crimson mane._

_"I'm so sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to!"_

_"It's okay." murmured Fluttershy. She blushed once again._

_"The name's Fireblazer. It's nice to meet you!"_

_He held out a hoof. Fluttershy didn't know what to do._

_"We're sorry!" said Rarity, observing Fluttershy's discomfort. "She's a little shy."_

_Fluttershy held out her own hoof. Fireblazer shook it gently._

_"Don't worry. I'm a little shy myself. The guys over there saw me looking at her and told me to say hi to her._

_"Yeah, and Fluttershy was quite fixated on you as well!" observed Twilight. "You two make a cute couple!"_

_Both pegasi blushed at this statement._

_"You're right, Twilight. The two of you should get together more often!" remarked Rainbow Dash._

_The waiter came back with the girls' food. Fireblazer returned to his table._

_"You girls didn't have to do that! I'm fine. Really." Fluttershy tried to shrink in size, but she was unsuccessful._

_"Wasn't he such a fine gentlecolt?" remarked the fashionista. "Twilight is right, Fluttershy. You two should go out more often!"_

_"But...but...oh..."_

_"Don't worry, Fluttershy! I'm sure that he is nicey-wicey and not a snotty pony like Blueblood."_

_"..."_

_The stallions were done around the same time the mares finished. All of them except Fireblazer left for home._

_"Do you want to come with us, Fire... fire..." Twilight tried to remember his name._

_"Fireblazer?"_

_"Yes! Fireblazer. Do you want to come with us?"_

_"Uhh...ahh...I don't know. I had plans to visit the park. I like to look at the animals there and..."_

_"Ooh! Do you love animals! I love animals! I have a whole house full of wonderful critters and birdies and rabbits and..."_

_Fireblazer was startled at Fluttershy's seemingly random outburst._

_"Oh." said Rarity. "Did we mention Fluttershy is a veterinarian?"_

_"I can't remember. I would like to see the animals Fluttershy has."_

_With that, the six mares and one stallion started their trek to Ponyville._

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it..."<p>

Fluttershy ran her eyes over the pegasus in front of her.

"It can't be you."

Fireblazer put a foreleg around the yellow pegasus' neck. She sobbed quietly.

"It is me..."

* * *

><p><em> "I would like to thank you all for coming this evening to celebrate our wedding!"<em>

_ The ponies in the crowd stomped their hooves in applause as Fireblazer paused. Fluttershy sat next to him. Also with him were the princesses and Fluttershy's closest friends._

_ "I would like to thank Rarity for the time and effort she put into making Fluttershy's dress." continued the groom as he motioned at the dressmaker. The crowd applauded again._

_ "I would like to thank Pinkie Pie and Applejack for the countless hours they put into making up the food for this evening." _

_ The crowd applauded as the two earth ponies stood._

_ "I would like to thank Rainbow Dash for clearing the skies for our celebration!" _

_ The aforementioned pony leaped into the air and performed a few stunts as the crowd applauded. Fluttershy's friends glared disapprovingly at the mare, but the newlywed couple just chuckled._

_ "Finally, I would like to thank Twilight Sparkle and her organizational skills for putting this whole celebration together!"_

_ The mare blushed as the crowd applauded again._

_ "Now, without further ado, it's time to..."_

_ "PARTY!"_

_ Pinkie Pie finished Fireblazer's remarks as he knocked him off the stage. He laughed as he struggled to get up._

_ The guests started to dance as the Royal Canterlot Quartet provided the music. After the party, Fireblazer and Fluttershy walked back to the yellow mare's cottage alone, enjoying the sights and sounds as they went._

* * *

><p>"Come with me."<p>

Fluttershy couldn't move. Fireblazer waited as she regained her strength

"Have you forgotten how I looked?" asked the stallion.

"I never did." replied Fluttershy.

Fireblazer watched the wedding reception with the mares. "This is my heaven. All weddings. All different, and yet all the same. The stallion and mare believe that their marriage is the one that others would look to and say 'I want my marriage to be like that!'. Did you think so of ours, Fluttershy?"

The yellow mare nodded her head. Her husband smiled.

* * *

><p>Fireblazer walked out of the room, with the six friends following behind him. Fluttershy's mind was racing. There were so many things that she did since he died. Where should she begin?<p>

"Did five ponies come to you too?"

"Yes."

"Did they explain your life as well?"

"Yes, and it made all the difference. I then came here to wait for you."

Fluttershy trembled. "What did they say about me? How much do you know about me?"

Fireblazer hugged the mare. "I know what we did together. I know why it happened. I know that you loved me. However, I don't know how you died." He concluded with a sheepish grin.

Fluttershy told him about the trip to Manehatten, how they woke up to a smoke filled room, and how they were unable to escape the hotel before it collapsed.

"Oh my, I am talking too much, am I?"

Fluttershy stopped. The stallion said nothing, but looked into her eyes the same way he did when they first met. The yellow pegasus couldn't help it. She grabbed him and cried in his shoulder.

"I missed you!"

* * *

><p><em>"Hey Tornado!"<em>

_ Fireblazer joined his friend in the arena. The two coworkers planned earlier to meet after work to go to the Wonderbolt races._

_ "Who did you bet on?" asked Tornado._

_ "Fleetfoot. You?"_

_ "Soarin."_

_ The two stallions watched as the Wonderbolt members lined up. At the whistle, the racers sped off. Fireblazer and Tornado cheered as the Wonderbolts raced around the track._

_ "...and Fleetfoot wins again!" shouted the announcer. Tornado looked at the orange stallion._

_ "How did you know?"_

_ "My wife has a friend who is a big fan of the Wonderbolts. She talks about them..." Fireblaze stopped talking. His eyes widened._

_ "What is it, buddy?" asked Tornado_

_ "I lost track of time! I am going to be late!" exclaimed the panicked orange pegasus as he looked at a nearby clock. "Fluttershy will never forgive me!"_

_ Fireblazer flew with speeds that would make Rainbow Dash jealous. He finally arrived at the cottage and walked in._

_ Fireblazer's wife was standing in the kitchen. Her friends had told the stallion about her legendary stare. As he looked towards Fluttershy, he gained a perfect understanding of what they meant._

_ "Where were you?" she said coldly._

_ "Umm... got off work late?"_

_ Fireblazer scolded himself for such a pathetic excuse. Fluttershy's stare got more intense._

_ "You were at the races, weren't you?"_

_ Fireblazer said nothing, but tried to hide himself from his wife's righteous fury._

_ "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE RACES?"_

_ "Please, please, I'm so sorry!" Fireblazer plead for forgiveness, but she would have none of it._

_ "I TOLD YOU TO NOT GO!"_

_ The two continued to argue. After a while, Fluttershy stomped upstairs and slammed the door to their bedroom. Fireblazer, not wanting to face her ire again, decided to sleep on the couch for the night. He left early the next morning for work before Fluttershy came downstairs._

* * *

><p><em> "Do you think I was too hard on him, Angel?"<em>

_ The rabbit shook his head. He watched as his owner ate at the salad he made up for her._

_ "I hope I didn't hurt his feelings too much." Fluttershy said with a frown. "I'm going to the factory and apologizing to him. Can you feed the animals while I'm gone?" __Fluttershy took off before Angel could reply to her._

_Meanwhile, Fireblazer had already arrived at the factory. He went to the boiler room to check on the pressurized containers._

_"Hey 'Blaze! How did it go with Fluttershy last night?"_

_"Ugh, don't remind me."_

_Fireblazer continued to check the pressure readings. He stopped in front of a rainbow mixer. The reading was off the charts. The stallion looked in the viewing window and saw that the container was filling rapidly, probably as a result of a clog. There wasn't enough time._

_"Oh horseapples..."_

* * *

><p><em>Fluttershy arrived at the factory to see multiple ambulance carts in front of it. One of the boilers in the factory had blown, killing two ponies and severely injuring dozens of others, including Fireblazer.<em>

_ At the hospital, Fluttershy and her friends sat in the waiting room while the doctors were tending to Fireblazer. After a few minutes, a doctor came out to talk to the friends._

_ "We've tried everything, but there is too much internal bleeding. He won't make it."_

_ Fluttershy looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. "Can I at least see him?"_

_ The doctor led the yellow pegasus to Fireblazer's room. He was lying in the hospital bed, obviously in much pain. Fluttershy sat down next to him._

_ "What did he say?" inquired Fireblazer, struggling to get the words out._

_ "He said you would be all right."_

_ Fireblazer chuckled weakly. "I see why you aren't the Element of Honesty."_

_ Fluttershy cried. "I am so sorry for yelling at you!"_

_ The orange pegasus smiled weakly. "I know."_

_ The pair looked out the hospital window. On the other side, they could see the town hall of Ponyville as its spire towered over the other buildings in the town._

_ "Home..."_

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

What does Fireblazer have to teach Fluttershy and her friends?


	9. The Fourth Lesson

Fireblazer and the friends continued talk about their lives after the death of the former. They talked about their deaths and their arrival in heaven. They talked about the bald stallion, Captain Ironhoof, and Sugarcube. Fireblazer smiled as if he knew all along what had happened.

Finally, they walked through the magic door to find themselves in an empty field.

"Do you remember this place, Fluttershy?" asked Fireblazer.

The veterinarian looked around. "This was where we had our wedding!"

Fireblazer nodded. "You lived without me for a long time, didn't you?"

Fluttershy cried once again. "You shouldn't have died! You went too soon!"

"You were angry that I left."

"NO!"

Fireblazer laughed. "Like I said before I died, you definitely are not the Element of Honesty!"

The yellow mare blushed.

"There was a reason, you know."

"A... a reason?"

Fireblazer nodded.

"But you died!" exclaimed Fluttershy. "I lost the only stallion I've ever loved!"

"I was waiting here!" countered the orange pegasus. "I know you still loved me. I felt it."

"You did?"

"Yes. Don't you see? Lost love is still love. When I passed on, you were unable to kiss me or dance with me. At that moment, love took on a different form."

"What do you mean?"

"Memories." The orange stallion tapped Fluttershy's head. "We nurture them and care for them as if they were the most precious treasure in the world. Life ends. Love doesn't."

When Fireblazer concluded, a group of musicians started playing.

"Do you want to dance?"

The couple grabbed hooves and danced as the musicians played a waltz. When they finished, Fluttershy grabbed her husband for one last hug. She closed her eyes as she felt his embrace.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone.

* * *

><p>The sun was shining like it would any normal day. However, for the citizens of Ponyville, it was anything but normal.<p>

They had gathered at the town hall for the funeral of the Element Bearers. In front of them sat six coffins, each containing an Element bearer who perished in the Manehatten fire last week. The bodies were dressed in the dresses that they wore for their first Grand Galloping Gala.

Family members of the mares bore their eulogies. Princess Celestia spoke of the events that bound the six girls together in a lifelong friendship. She spoke of the letters on friendship that the mares would send her.

After the funeral, the coffins were taken to the cemetery and gently placed in six waiting graves. The mourners said their final goodbyes as the graves were slowly filled with earth.

Eventually, the task was completed. Six stones bearing the cutie marks of each of the friends marked their final resting places. Nearby, The princesses, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Spike looked on, relishing the memories of their dead friends.

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

Rarity receives a startling revelation.


	10. The Fifth Pony

"Wow, everything is so white here!"

Pinkie looked around at her surroundings. The other mares seemed more confused than her. It hasn't gotten through their heads that they indeed were floating around in a field of white.

Slowly, the whiteness dissipated, revealing a river flowing with pure water. The friends heard shrieking noises. They found the source of the sound in the river: fillies and colts frolicking in the pure water. Rarity and Applejack started crying.

"Applejack! Rarity! What's the matter?" asked Twilight.

"Just... just seeing those fillies... Oh! I just miss Sweetie Belle!" The dressmaker sobbed into Twilight's neck. "It's just that I haven't thought about her at all while I was here. I am such a horrible sister!"

"Sorry, Twi." said the farmer as she looked at the young ponies playing. "Its jus' that seein' those fillies playin' jus' got me thinkin' 'bout mah family. I never gotta say goodbye to 'em."

Twilight thought of Spike. The last time she saw him was at the train station, unaware of what fate had in store for them. How did he react to her death? She also thought of her parents. She was their only daughter. She cried at the thought of their anguish over her death. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a bright pink colored filly looking right at the group.

They froze. She raised a hoof and beckoned them to come to her. The six friends reluctantly did so.

"Hi!" she chirped. "I'm Tulip!"

"Hi Tulip! I'm Pinkie Pie! Are you having a party here? I love parties! GASP! Where are the balloons and streamers and..." the pink pony was cut off by a purple hoof stuffed into her mouth.

The group looked in the river. The ponies were still in the water, rubbing stones on their bodies.

"What are you doing?" inquired the purple bookworm. Tulip smiled.

"We're taking our baths! This is how we take our baths where we are from!"

Rarity smiled. She saw a tree nearby. Using her magic, she broke off a branch and made a topiary of a unicorn. She gave it to Tulip, who giggled with joy.

"I do hope you like it!"

"You burned me."

* * *

><p>Rarity's was taken aback.<p>

"You burned me."

"Darling, what do you mean?"

"You burned me. You set me on fire."

Rarity looked at the others in confusion. Tulip said nothing, but walked to the edge of the river. The reflection faded away as a new scene unfolded before them.

* * *

><p><em> "Heh, heh! Who's daddy's little filly?"<em>

_ Tulip squealed as her father played with her in the living room of their hut. A stallion ran in the door._

_ "What is it, Steelblade?"_

_ "You gotta see what this one prisoner is doing!"_

_ The father gave a skeptical look at the soldier, but looked down at his daughter. "Stay here, Tulip. Daddy will be back."_

_ The little filly watched as her dad went with his fellow soldiers to the wooden shack nearby and walk inside. After five minutes, she watched as a different group of ponies walked out of the shack. None of them looked like her father. She was scared. These ponies were the bad ponies that her father told her about. She ran from the window._

_ Hiding under the bed, Tulip listened to the conversation outside._

_ "Let's burn this place!"_

_ "OK, everypony! Back here in five minutes. Understood?"_

_ Tulip trembled. Did they hurt her daddy? She heard a whooshing sound and felt a wave of heat hit her. The hut was on fire!_

_ The filly cried out as the fire started to burn her. Eventually, she was overcome by the flames and she collapsed to the ground. The last thing she saw before she died was a grinning white unicorn mare unleashing another stream of fire from her salvaged weapon._

* * *

><p>Next time:<p>

Did Twilight save the filly before she died?


	11. The Fifth Lesson

Rarity stepped back in shock.

"What have I done?" wailed the white unicorn. "I killed a filly! I KILLED YOU! I KILLED YOU! I'M SO SORRY! WHAT HAVE I DONE? PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

Rarity buried her head in her hooves and cried, distraught over her actions from that night. Her friends gathered around her trying to comfort her, but she would have none of it. She was a murderer. An innocent filly died by her hoof! It was because of her that Applejack saw the filly running around inside. It was because of her that the captain had to shoot the farmer to keep her from perishing in the blaze as well.

The fashion designer felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked to see Tulip, but instead of a beautiful pink coat, her coat was horribly burned. She was holding a rock in her mouth.

"Do you want to wash me?"

Rarity screamed in fright. "What happened to you?"

Tulip said nothing, but she put the rock in the unicorn's hoof. She waded out into the river.

The white unicorn trembled. "What do I do?"

Tulip grabbed the hoof holding the rock from her and ran it along her foreleg. As the rock passed over the charred skin, it fell off, revealing new skin underneath.

Rarity marveled at what she saw. She grabbed the rock and started to rub it over Tulip's body. Gradually, the filly's pink coat emerged from the dead, charred skin that lay over it. Rarity rubbed the filly's face, scraping off the blackened flesh that adorned it. In a mere matter of minutes, Tulip's coat was restored to the cheerful shade of pink they saw when they first met.

"Why were you sad?"

"Why? Darling! I killed you! I'm a monster!"

Tulip shook her head. "Why were you sad at home?"

Rarity looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Tulip pointed in the water. Rarity looked and saw an image of Carousel Boutique.

The unicorn understood what the filly was asking her. "I was just a simple dressmaker from Ponyville! I did nothing spectacular! I was just a nobody. That was why I was sad."

Tulip smiled. "You were supposed to be there."

Rarity looked at the filly through her tears. "Huh?"

"You were supposed to be there." repeated the filly. Rarity looked at her with confusion in her eyes.

"In Ponyville? Why?"

"Let me show you."

* * *

><p><p>

The scenery changed. The friends found themselves in Ponyville's town hall. Hundreds of ponies silently mourned as six coffins sat in the front of the room.

"Is this our funeral?" inquired Applejack. Tulip nodded.

The mares watched and listened as family members stood and told tales of the deceased. Big Macintosh, who delivered Applejack's eulogy, spoke about how she left for Manehatten when she was a filly, but ended up coming back to the farm upon realizing how much she missed her family. Fluttershy's eulogy was delivered by her cousin, who spoke on the yellow pegasus' ability to comfort anypony who was going through rough times. Scootaloo, now a full grown mare, spoke on her idolization of Rainbow Dash when she was a filly and how loyal Rainbow was to her friends and family. Pinkie's Father told the story of how his daughter threw her first party, and how she was only happy when other ponies around her were happy as well. Sweetie Belled delivered the eulogy for Rarity. She told about her sister's generosity and how she wouldn't be happy until her clients got exactly what they wanted. Twilight watched as her mother walked to the podium behind the coffins. She talked about the summer sun celebration that got her daughter interested in magic. She talked about the entrance examination that resulted in Twilight getting her cutie mark. She tearfully read some of the friendship letters that Princess Celestia passed on to her. Princess Celestia gave a final eulogy for the group as a whole, detailing their adventures from defeating Nightmare Moon to their demise in Manehatten.

Twilight and her friends found themselves back at the river. Tulip walked up to them.

"Do you see now? Look at the good you have done for them. It made me feel good." she said with a cheerful smile.

Twilight was still wondering about the filly in the hotel. Tulip looked at her as if she was trying to read her mind.

"Do you know about the filly in the hotel?"

"Yes."

"Did I save her? Did I push her out of the way?"

Tulip looked into Twilight's eyes. "No. You didn't push her."

Twilight collapsed. She had failed. She wept bitterly.

"You teleported her."

Twilight looked up at Tulip. "Teleported her?"

"Yes. You teleported her. You saved her."

"But I felt her hooves!" Twilight protested.

"Not her hooves," Tulip said as she put her own into Twilight's. It dawned on her what Tulip meant.

"You felt my hooves. I brought you to heaven. I kept you save."

* * *

><p><p>

The six mares watched as the river started to rise. Instead of running, the girls allowed it to cover them. Inside the water, they watched as scenes from their life, their stories, flashed before their eyes. They felt as if their bodies were dissolving, but they felt all the pain, all the sorrow, and all the bad being washed away with it. The water receded to reveal the company's heaven.

They were in Ponyville, with thousand of ponies waiting for them. They were there because of the simple, seemingly unimportant things that the girls have done for them.

The girls hugged each other, and then walked through Ponyville-heaven. Once they arrived at Sugarcube corner, Pinkie Pie ran in to start preparing a "Welcome to Heaven" party.

The rest of the girls decided to go their separate ways. Applejack went to Sweet Apple Acres, where she saw many of her dead kin waiting for her, including her parents. Rainbow Dash flew to her house, where she found her father waiting for her. They tearfully hugged each other, finally putting aside their differences. Fluttershy flew to where her cottage was. There were animals there that had been tended to by the veterinarian, but had since passed away. Inside the cottage, Fireblazer waited for her. The two lovers hugged each other and looked toward Ponyville.

"We are home."

* * *

><p><p>

The Mare-iott Hotel in Manehatten was rebuilt after the fire. A moment of silence was observed before its grand opening. Inside, statues of the Element Bearers greeted them as visitors walked through the lobby.

Spike remained in the library after his friends' deaths. Listening to Spike's suggestion, the mayor renamed the library the Twilight Sparkle Memorial Library in memory of the librarian.

Princess Celestia found a new student by the name of Shining Light. After a decade of studying magic under her, he had grown into one of the most powerful unicorns the princess has ever known. Like she did with Twilight many years ago, the princess sent the stallion to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship. Together with his newfound friends, they became the new Element bearers.

Eventually, Shining grew old. His friends gathered to say goodbye to him. On the other side, in a library carved into a tree, a purple unicorn sat and waited to share with Shining her story and to give her lesson: that all stories affect each other and that they all are one.


End file.
